OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT: Despite growing up near Los Angeles, the TV darling, who has also appeared in films such as The Five-Year Engagement and Scream 4, describes her upbringing as a world apart. “I definitely feel like I grew up in a small town—it was not Hollywood-oriented. I was, like, a small-town theater girl.”

OLD SCHOOL: Brie took a grassroots approach to success after she got a B.F.A. degree from CalArts—doing short films at U.S.C., regional theater, and a Web series. “I always wanted to work, so by the time I graduated I got a manager and was with some tiny agency, auditioning for anything and everything.”

SERIAL SUCCESS: Brie has hit the TV jackpot two times over, with both her leading role as the neurotic student Annie on cult-favorite comedy series Community and a recurring dramatic role as the frustrated housewife Trudy on Mad Men. “You just never know as a recurring character when you’re going to be needed, so Mad Men has always been that boyfriend that I am, like, way more into than I think he is into me.”

BUILDING A CAREER: In addition to the spring finales of both shows, and with a host of film projects in the pipeline, Brie lent her voice to this year’s animated mega-hit The Lego Movie. “The character I play is part kitten, part unicorn. In a live-action movie I might not get to play that role ... ”